Beechworth's Burke Museum has been awarded the Victorian Collections Award: (organisations with Paid Staff) for Excellence in Museum Cataloguing for the second year in a row at the 2022 Victorian Museum and Galleries Awards.
The prestigious awards, now in their 29th year and awarded by the Australian Museum and Galleries Association, the peak body for over 1000 museums and collecting organisations, recognise outstanding achievements and service in the museum, gallery and collecting sector.
The award acknowledges the hard work undertaken by the Burke Museum team in cataloguing the Burke collections online using Victorian Collections, a free online cataloguing system that allows cultural treasures to be accessible and discoverable to the online community.
The Burke team was thrilled to be recognised.
"These awards are wonderful recognition of the hard work put in by the Beechworth Historic Precinct team over the past year. Seeing Indigo Shire represented on the big stage alongside the heavyweights of the industry shows the dedication and professionalism of the team in difficult times," says Cameron Auty, Manager Burke Museum and Cultural Heritage.
Over 1000 objects from the Burke museum collection have now been photographed, catalogued and shared online on the Victorian Collections website, enabling the public, researchers and students to share in the region's heritage from anywhere in the country.
"Winning two years in a row is an exciting achievement for the Burke Museum. Our partnership with Deakin University providing online cataloguing internships for students across Australia is really starting to make an impact for us and the community museums and athenaeums across the Shire. I'm proud of the team and all their hard work," says Collections Manager, Ashleigh Giffney.
The Burke also finished runner-up in the Small Museums Award for the People of Beechworth Exhibition and Ms Giffney placed second for the Individual Award for Excellence.
Mayor, Bernard Gaffney says that the award and nominations reflect the hard work of the team at the Burke and demonstrates that a small regional museum can make the cut among its larger counterparts.
"We're very proud of the team at the Burke and that such an achievement has been achieved here in Indigo Shire. Our cultural heritage is a huge part of what makes our Shire unique, so the team is to be commended for its part in preserving this history."
